Ecole des Sables

What Ecole des Sables does

Association Ecole des Sables is a French humanitarian nonprofit association (Association loi 1901) founded in September 2006 by Sébastien David and headquartered in Créon, France, at 29 rue C. Dopter. Its mission is to support and operate the schooling of nomadic Touareg children in northern Mali. The association backs a primary school established in 2002 by Ibrahim Ag Assarid in Taboye and now operating from the Ag-Infanana camp near Gao, currently serving approximately 80 primary students across six grade levels with five teachers (Aliou as director, plus Ahmed, Mahamad, Abouki, and Abdoul). After the 2012 Mali crisis forced a temporary relocation to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (where students attended the local Protestant school under Ibrahim's supervision), the school was re-established at Ag-Infanana in 2016 and formalized as a public school by Mali's Ministry of Education in 2025, with three World Bank-financed new classrooms opening in December 2025.

The organization's portfolio includes the school itself, a child sponsorship program (parrainage) at €45 per month, an annual pedagogical exchange program bringing Touareg students and teachers to French Catholic partner schools in the Bordeaux region, a vocational training workshop (Atelier Couture et Tissage) for former female students, secondary-school scholarships at partner schools in Fana and Bamako, and teacher training support. Revenue is generated from individual donations, membership fees (tax-deductible at 66% under French law), recurring sponsorships, solidarity events such as the Grand Raid de la Réunion, and targeted fundraising campaigns for capital projects. The association is supported by approximately 500 dues-paying members and donors and roughly 600 non-member supporters, and operates without any proprietary technology platform beyond a website, a Facebook page, and the HelloAsso online donation portal.

Operationally, the association runs lean: roughly 10-15 staff and volunteers, distributed across the Créon headquarters and the Ag-Infanana and Fana sites in Mali. Recent strategic milestones include over €10,000 raised and deployed to rebuild the school after September 2024 flood damage, recognition as a public school by Mali's Ministry of Education, and a World Bank-financed expansion of physical capacity. The organization's value proposition rests on nearly 20 years of continuous operation through repeated crises, deep community embeddedness with Touareg families, and educational outcomes (notably a 100% baccalaureate pass rate in 2024-2025 against a 27% national average).

Name

Ecole des Sables

Legal name

Association Ecole des Sables

Website

https://ecoledessables.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association Ecole des Sables is a French nonprofit operating a primary school for Touareg nomadic children at Mali's Ag-Infanana camp, supported by approximately 500 members, child sponsorships, and partnerships with French and Malian institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Primary Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADALAC

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYEDADALAG

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

Keywords

• Humanitarian education services
• Primary education access
• Child sponsorship programs
• Nonprofit school funding
• Rural school operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Créon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Fees: The association raises funds through individual donations, membership fees (adhésion), and child sponsorship. Donations are tax-deductible (66% tax credit) as the association is recognized as being of general interest. The sponsorship program provides 45€ per month per child.
2. Child Sponsorship: Monthly sponsorship program where donors become godparents (parrains/marraines) to specific students. This stabilizes the project and provides ongoing funding for schooling costs.
3. Fundraising Campaigns: Occasional fundraising campaigns for specific projects such as school reconstruction after natural disasters. Recent campaign raised funds for rebuilding classrooms destroyed by flooding (126mm of rain in September 2024).
4. Solidarity Events: Annual events like the Grand Raid de la Réunion solidarity race generate additional funding for specific projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Association Ecole des Sables is a French-recognized humanitarian nonprofit that operates a primary school for Touareg nomadic children at the Ag-Infanana camp near Gao, Mali, delivering French-language education with meals, boarding, healthcare support, supplies and uniforms for approximately 80 students across six grade levels. It supplements schooling with a child sponsorship program (parrainer un enfant), annual membership, scholarship-supported secondary education at partner schools in Fana and Bamako, pedagogical exchange visits with French Catholic schools in the Bordeaux region, and a vocational sewing-and-weaving workshop (Atelier Couture et Tissage) for former students.

Product overview

Ecole des Sables is a humanitarian association operating a school for Tuareg nomadic children at the Ag-Infanana camp in northern Mali, offering primary education with boarding facilities for approximately 80 students. The core offering consists of the school itself, supplemented by child sponsorship programs, pedagogical exchange visits to French partner schools, teacher training support, scholarship programs for continued secondary education, vocational training workshops in sewing and weaving, and ongoing school construction and reconstruction efforts. The organization is headquartered in Créon, France and maintains partnerships with approximately 10 French Catholic schools in the Bordeaux region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ecole des Sables Primary School (Ag-Infanana) A primary school serving approximately 80 Touareg nomadic children at the Ag-Infanana camp near Gao, Mali, delivering French-language instruction across six grade levels with 5 teachers, combined with boarding facilities, daily meals, school supplies, uniforms, and healthcare support.
• Child Sponsorship Program (Parrainer un enfant) A monthly sponsorship program that allows individual donors to become godparents (parrains/marraines) to specific Touareg children, covering school fees, meals, accommodation, supplies, and healthcare costs at €45 per month per child (effective cost €65 per child per month).
• Pedagogical Exchange Program (Echanges pédagogiques) Cultural exchange program bringing Touareg students and teachers to French Catholic partner schools in the Bordeaux region for approximately one-month immersive experiences, and hosting Bordelais visitors at the Taboye/Ag-Infanana site, promoting cross-cultural and interfaith understanding.
• Scholarship Program for Secondary Students (Bourses) Financial support covering school fees and living expenses for older students to continue collège and lycée studies at partner schools in Fana (Ecole Jeanne d'Arc) and Bamako, including students living with Ibrahim's family in Fana.
• Association Membership (Adhésion) Annual membership program that allows individuals to formally join Association Ecole des Sables, pay annual membership fees, and participate in association governance, with all qualifying donations eligible for the 66% French tax credit.
• Vocational Training Workshop (Atelier Couture et Tissage) Vocational workshop offering sewing and weaving instruction to former female students of the school, equipping them with income-generating skills and providing a useful service to the local community of Ag-Infanana; currently used by 7 former students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 out of 7 baccalaureate candidates passed (100% success rate vs 27% national average)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ecole Sainte Marie de CréoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partner school hosting Ibrahim and Touareg students during annual September visits. Provides student exchange program and coordinates donations from French families.
• Jeanne d'Arc Schools (Bouscat, Pessac, Bègles, Cenon)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Catholic schools participating in student exchanges, hosting Touareg students, and organizing fundraising events for the Ecole des Sables.
• Saint-Michel BordeauxmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school that has hosted Touareg students including Souley and Oumar for month-long exchanges during September.
• Saint-Joseph Schools (Léognan, Vendays-Montalivet)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner schools that have hosted Touareg students for cultural exchange programs.
• Collège Lestonnac BordeauxmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJumelage (twinning) agreement signed between Ecole des Sables and Collège Lestonnac. Has hosted older Touareg students (4th and 3rd grade levels) for exchanges.
• Ville de BordeauxmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Bordeaux provides logistical support and event venues for the association's activities.
• Centre de Formation Pédagogique d'AquitaineminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPedagogical training center supporting teacher training programs.
• Association Terya SominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association in the educational network.
• Paroisse de Saint-AugustinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParish community supporting the association.
• Ecole Protestante de OuagadougoucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring 2012-2017 crisis period, this Protestant school in Ouagadougou accepted and educated Touareg Muslim students from Ecole des Sables, demonstrating interfaith cooperation.
• Ecole Jeanne d'Arc à FanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic school where older Ecole des Sables students (primary, middle school, high school) continue their studies at Fana, 130km from Bamako. Students live with Ibrahim's family.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ACTED: French humanitarian NGO implementing education, WASH, and livelihoods programs in Mali, Burkina Faso, and across the Sahel. Comparable as a France-anchored operational NGO with field presence in the same conflict-affected geography where Ecole des Sables operates.
• UNICEF: Global UN agency with the largest portfolio of education programs for vulnerable children, including refugee, displaced, and nomadic populations in Mali and across the Sahel. Comparable as the dominant institutional funder and operator in the same target beneficiary space, but at vastly greater scale and with a different funding mechanism.
• UNHCR: UN Refugee Agency running education programs for displaced and refugee children, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, and the broader Sahel. Comparable mission (education for forcibly displaced populations) and directly relevant given Ecole des Sables' history of operating for refugee children in Ouagadougou during 2012-2017.
• Plan International: International NGO focused on children's rights and education, with active programming in Mali and the Sahel. Comparable in targeting vulnerable children's education in the same geography, with a broader thematic remit and institutional funding base.
• Save the Children: International NGO operating education programs in Mali and across West Africa for children affected by conflict and poverty. Comparable as a major institutional actor in the same beneficiary space, though operating at much larger scale and with a wider program portfolio.

Direct peers

• Tostan: Senegal-based nonprofit delivering community-led education and empowerment programs across West Africa. Closely comparable mission and model: grassroots, community-empowerment-driven education for under-served rural and nomadic populations in the same Sahel/West Africa region.
• Bibliothèques Sans Frontières: French nonprofit expanding access to education and culture for disadvantaged populations, including in West and Central Africa. Comparable as a France-based grassroots education nonprofit deploying operational programs in francophone Africa with similar donor-driven funding models.
• Action Education (formerly Aide et Action): French-headquartered international NGO dedicated to access to quality education for vulnerable populations, including in West Africa and Sahel countries. Directly comparable as a French-anchored education nonprofit operating programs for marginalized children in the same geographic zone as Ecole des Sables.
• Solidarité Laïque: French NGO coalition supporting the right to education in developing countries, including West Africa. Directly comparable as a French-anchored education-focused nonprofit network operating in similar geographies to Ecole des Sables.

Emerging players

• Right To Play: International NGO using play and sport to deliver education and child protection outcomes for marginalized children, including in West Africa. Comparable in delivering holistic child development services to vulnerable communities, though with a distinct play-based methodology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lecole.dessables
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecole-des-sables

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ecole des Sables